Covert Operations
by alimination602
Summary: Red Alert 3- Commander Lisette Hanley and the other Allied officers approach Soviet Premier Cherdenko in the hopes of establishing a coalition in response to the Empire of the Rising Sun deploying the dreaded 'Black Tortoise'.


Chapter 1- Covert Operations

It was the middle of winter in Moscow, making the climate in the Soviet capital city cold even by Russian standards. Even with refitted snow tires and extra thick treads the Allied vehicles had not been designed for this harsh environment, the vehicles fighting to maintain their position in the convoy, the lead Guardian Tank attempting to keep pace with their better adapted Soviet counterparts leading the precession.

Allied Commander Lissette Hanley sat on the steel bench in the crew compartment of the Armoured Personal Carrier positioned within the heart of the Allied motorcade, her thick winter coat dashed with Allied navy blue colours. The heavy winter coat made the small compartment she shared with three fully armoured Allied Peacekeepers feel even more claustrophobic. At the very least the fabric softened the impact as the vehicle jostled, throwing her into the hardened shoulder-guard of her accompanying escorts for the umpteenth time. Eventually another jostle struck her; more violent than any before, followed by the gentle rumble beneath her feet of an idle engine which signalled they had finally reached their destination.

Lissette heard the creak of metal against metal, the deep thump as someone leapt from the idling vehicle, the rhythmic crunch of footsteps through the snow. The bulkhead at the far side of the vehicle yawned open on hydraulic pistons. The regulated, stale warm air quickly being replaced by the frozen air of the outside world. The soldiers bailed out of the cramped compartment, forming a defensive triangle around the open bay.

Lissette leapt out of the vehicle, the cold up wash of air striking her bare cheeks, almost slipping on the frozen ice beneath her feet. A thick layer of snow layered the roads and rooftops of the surrounding urban jungle. The Allied commander and her entourage stood before the Kremlin- seat of the Russian government and heart and mind of the Soviet war machine. Lissette had always thought that if she ever stood here it would either be as a victorious conqueror or a defeated prisoner of war. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that she would come here not only under the banner of peace but to ask for the Soviet assistance against a greater foe.

Lissette stepped out from between the idling vehicles with her escort in tow. She watched as Field Marshall Robert Bingham, leader of the Allied forces in Western Europe, and Commander Giles Price, decorated British Air Force officer, approached from either side each surrounded by their own entourage of Allied Peacekeepers.

Their three separate groups merged seamlessly together. They stepped forward in unison towards the Kremlin along the cobbled pathway that had been hastily cleared earlier in the day but was already covered with a thin layer of fresh snow. Soviet Conscripts stood at attention in sharp lines either side of the street, overshadowed by the fifty foot flagpoles behind them flying the Soviet and Allied flags in unison. Lissette could hear one of the Soviet soldiers murmur something under his breath to his comrade in Russian- roughly translated '_Check out the snow tires on that on_e', and she could assume they were not referring to the APC. Lissette would have gladly struck the offending soldier cleanly across the jaw if she hadn't been here to request the assistance of the Soviet government and if the soldiers face was not concealed by a thick black gas mask with piercing red glowing circles where she expected his eyes to be.

The Allied entourage quickly scurried beneath the cover of the overhanging canopy covering the main entrance. The solid oak doors swung open of their own accord, a heavy gust of hot, stale air a prelude to what they would experience once inside. With the promise of warmth laid out before them the Allied entourage quickened their pace to finally see it fulfilled. They stepped over the threshold into an alien world, the barren cold wasteland had been replaced by fabulous splendour and concussive waves of warmth Lissette wished she could experience unabated. The Russian soldiers, who outside had been covered in thick black winter coats and obscured their faces behind heavy red tinted goggles, now dressed in military dress uniform, their chests ablaze with a rainbow of medals and honours. Lissette and her escorts entered last.

As soon as she stepped inside she began the arduous task of removing her heavy winter coat without appearing a completely inept at removing her own clothing. But before Lisette could even reach for the clasp she was ambushed by several previously unnoticed attendants who had been lurking in the shadows behind them, out of sight on either side of the doorway. As a former spy herself she was impressed, if she was not already kicking herself for failing to notice them sooner. But before she could react she felt her coat moving of its own accord, the fabric sliding effortlessly from her shoulders as she was pulled through the motions. The attendant removed the garment with the grace and ease derived through years of experience- Lissette barely felt the movements. Before she knew it she was standing in her best dress uniform, surrounded by Giles and Bingham on either side of her.

Another attendant appeared in front of them, indicating the corridor ahead with a wave of his arm. They followed in his step, admiring the paintings and statues which lined the corridor, each depicting scenes of previous Russian conquests and victories, each more decorative and elaborate than the last. They were lead through another set of solid oak doors, emerging in a grand dining hall; its walls adorned with yet more paintings and statues which were somehow even more extravagant than the previous ones she had seen before. At the end of the table, flanked on either side by Allied and Soviet banners, stood Soviet Premier Cherdenko. For his stout stature the man carried himself with a powerful aura of control that was rather intimidating. The Premier rose from his seat, his smile carrying a sinister undertone to it.

The Allied representatives stepped forward to greet the Premier, their escorts holding back to stand against the back wall near the door. Allied Field Marshall Bingham, as leader of the Allied forces in Western Europe, was the first to greet the Premier. The two shook hands fiercely, their entire political stance in these coming negotiations being summed up in one small act. Giles quickly followed, and finally Lissette, who could not help but notice the Premiers smile widen greatly as he caught first sight of her. She could tell already this was going to be a long night.

The initial greeting with the Soviet Premier was followed with a formal banquet before the proper negotiations began later that evening. But the truth was Lissette could not care less about the meal or the coming talks because she was here for an entirely different reason.

Allied intelligence had reason to believe the Soviets were somehow connected with the sudden aggression of the Japanese Empire of the Rising Sun, despite the fact that on the surface the Soviets were losing just as much territory and military forces to the Empire as the Allies were. Even so, something about this situation did not feel right, and Lissette was determined to find out what.

It required some careful timing but Lissette was finally able to subtly excuse herself from the after-dinner reception. With the majority of the Kremlins staff preoccupied with attending to the reception Lissette found the deeper corridors abandoned, and far easier to negotiate. The inner corridors were a labyrinth of confusing passageways, concealed doorways and sharp dead ends leading to nowhere.

Eventually Lissette stood before her target, Premier Cherdenko's office. After some careful work picking the lock Lissette slipped through the door, closing it silently behind her. The office was grand, but simply designed- lacking the elaborate embroidery and decorations you would expect to see in the office of one of the most politically powerful men in the world. Lissette kept the lights off, the dim flashes of light shining through the large windows behind the desk providing adequate light for her to find her way around.

She stepped across the room to the Premiers desk, the obvious first target for her search. The desk was covered with a neat arrangement of documents, files and books. A quick ruffle through the documents yielded little information of use. Lissette stepped over to the bookcase, expecting some form of hidden switch or concealed entrance, a little clichéd she was willing to admit but she had to attempt every possibility. She found books on Russian history, Marxism, a stone bust of Lenin.

Lissette was suddenly torn from her search, something clasped tightly around her neck, forcefully dragging her away into the centre of the room. She opened her lips to scream, but a hand clasped tightly over her mouth, stifling her muffled cries. She felt the hand clasped across her throat release, she contemplated attempting to break free of the death grip before it tightened once again. But less than a moment later the hand was replaced with the fine edge of a combat knife, the blade grazing her neck, floating directly over her carotid artery. The smallest touch would cleanly sever the blood vessel, resulting in a slow and painful death. Whoever had ambushed her clearly understood human biology, and how best to exploit its weaknesses. Lissette did not dare move, fearing provoking the slumbering beast which held her captive.

She felt her captors warm breath waft silently past her ear. "_Allied spy._ _Why are you here, spy?_" A womans voice spat the final word in a thick Russian dialect.

"_I was just looking for the restroom_" Lissette replied in as best Russian as she could manage on the spot.

"You speak my language like a child" The woman suddenly reverted to fluent English. "But you lie like a capitalist pig-dog" The woman tightened her grip on her weapon. "What is a spy doing here?" she repeated in a far harsher tone.

"First Commander Lissette Hanley. Allied military. Designation N7589-QA6" Lissette spoke in a monotone voice.

"I know- you wear the dress uniform of an Allied officer" Lissette bit her lower lip; she suddenly regretted not changing her outfit. "'Commander' Lissette? How could a girl so weak and fragile cause us so much trouble in Heidelberg?"

"Brains over brawn" Lissette remarked insolently, immediately regretting the brash words.

She felt the knife at her throat falter; she feared that she had overstepped her boundary with her captor. But her life continued regardless. "I am going to release my grip. If you try to run or attack me, I will slice your neck in two and you will die of blood loss before you hit the ground. Do you understand?" The woman spoke as if she was addressing a disobedient child.

Lissette nodded her head gently, careful to avoid any movement which would increase the pressure on the blade. Her captor slowly withdrew the blade, the woman's right hand clasped tightly over her mouth sliding off of her. Lissette dared to take a slow, deliberate breath. But she remained staring directly at the bookcase in front of her.

She felt a strong hand clasp tightly on her shoulder, with one movement she was whisked around to face her captor. The woman wore a tight leather shirt and skirt dashed in dark black colours and embroiled with the fiery red of the Soviet army. Her cap, the Soviet emblem on the side, barely contained the free flow of dark brown hair cascading down her back. The woman's eyes passed over Lissette as if she were contemplating whether or not she really was worth sparing or not. She shook her head in defeat. "I can see why the Allies choose you for this operation- you carry yourself with the grace and elegance only the women of our species possess. But you could have at least had the decency to break into our sanctum the difficult way, rather than coming to us under a false banner of peace"

"The Allies still wish to barter peace" Lissette fumbled with her hands nervously. "We had to ensure that you were not collaborating with the Empire of the Rising Sun"

The woman chuckled. "I understand your reservations. Premier Cherdenko is a corrupt and vile serpent. Whatever meagre kindness he offers you will be swiftly matched by the back of his hand once you cease to be useful"

"Then why do you serve a man like him?" Lissette dared to ask.

Lissette saw that struck a harsh blow. "Because I love my country. I love my nation. I am loyal to my patriotic people, not their leader. It is they who I serve. And they who shall pass judgement upon me if I betray them" She gripped the combat knife still held in her hand even tighter. Lissette honestly expected her to reach across the dark divide between them and slash her neck as she could have done before. But the woman returned the blade to its sheath at her belt. "But I will not betray them" She stepped aside. "I will take you back to your room. If the guards find you in this wing they will turn you into the Premier, and they will take their time to savour you before they do"

The woman stepped towards the door. "Wait" Lissette spoke up. The woman froze in her step. "Can I ask you one thing"

It was an odd request. "Yes" But one her captor was willing to fulfil.

"Who are you?" Lissette asked.

She turned to face Lissette. "Soviet Lieutenant Dasha Fedorovich"


End file.
